A mother-of-two has revealed she became overweight after experiencing abuse as a child, but it all changed when she met the love of her life, overhauled her diet and dropped seven dress sizes.
Growing up, weight loss coach, Shandra Redwine, 34, from Holland, Michigan, was physically and psychologically abused by her stepfather between the ages of four and 13. He would hit her and made her feel worthless.
The traumatizing experience lead to her indulging in food for years which increased her weight to approximately 260 pounds (18st 8Ib) and a size 22 dress size.
Wow! Shandra Redwine, 34, from Holland, Michigan has revealed she dropped a whopping seven dress sizes and went from weighing around 260 pounds (L) to 145 pounds (R)
Transformation: The mother-of-two, pictured before (L) and after (R) her impressive weight loss, said she gained weight as a result of suffering abuse from her stepfather as a child
Achievement: Pictured standing in one leg of an old pair of jeans, Shandra revealed she was physically and psychologically abused by her stepfather between the ages of four and 13
It wasn’t until Shandra was 13 that her stepfather was arrested for domestic and child abuse after a stranger saw him hit her in the face outside their home.
Despite him being out of her life after her mom divorced him, the emotional ordeal she went through didn’t stop her from binging on food.
Devastating: Her traumatic childhood led to Shandra over eating. She said she had ‘no self-esteem or self-worth’ as well as having ‘crippling anxiety’
She met engineer and the love of her life, Gerald, 39, when she was 16-years-old, and they got married in 2011.
A few years later, they both agreed they wanted to try to have children, as they were in their late twenties. This is when she stepped on the scales and reached her breaking point.
She wanted to lose weight to improve her health to be the best mom for their future children and after taking up running and changing her diet, she shrunk down to a healthy 145 pounds (10st 4Ib) and a size eight dress side.
In 2014 they welcomed their first child, Brecken, four, and two years later they had another son, Hendrick, two.
She has since taken back the confidence that her stepfather had stolen from her and couldn’t be happier as a wife and mom-of-two.
The family regularly go out for walks together, as well as often going running and exploring.
‘I was raised by my wonderful mother and step-dad until they divorced and then I met my biological father to whom I have been close ever since,’ Shandra said.
‘I was slightly overweight as a teenager and quickly gained one-hundred pounds in my twenties. I think the emotional consequence of a traumatic childhood at the hands of a controlling and abusive parent were a huge factor in my weight gain.
Tough: It was only when Shandra, as seen at the time of the abuse when she was a child, was 13 her stepfather was arrested after someone witnessed him slapping her outside their home
Love: Shandra met the love of her life Gerald, 39, when she was 16, and the pair have been together ever since. The couple got married in 2011
Incredible: Shandra, pictured in her wedding dress before (L) and after her weight loss (R), shared the comparison image on her Instagram page after she lost 100 pounds
Happy: The photo went viral, and was spotted by someone at the Rachel Ray show. The pair were invited to appear on the show and renew their vows last year
‘I had no self-esteem or self-worth, crippling anxiety, and freedom for the first time in my life. I feel like I was a person filled with hopes and dreams for my life that were far bigger than the reality I was living.
‘I knew I was capable of so much more, but I was disgusted with myself and I didn’t know how to fix it.
Lovers: Shandra got to pick out a new wedding dress, which she surprised Gerald with on the day
‘My stepfather who raised me from age of four to fourteen was extremely controlling and strict, and both verbally and physically abusive (mostly to my mother and I).
‘He was finally arrested for domestic and child abuse when I was thirteen-years-old, after a bystander saw him hitting me in the face in our front yard.
‘They divorced after that. I feel the long term effects of the verbal and emotional abuse took the greatest toll,’ she added.
Shandra met her husband when she was 16 and the pair have been together since. The couple will celebrate their eight year anniversary in September.
‘My husband and I had decided we wanted to try to have children and we were both already in our late twenties,’ she said.
‘One day I stepped on the scale at two-hundred-and-sixty pounds and the realization that I was closer to three-hundred than two-hundred was just too much.
‘I knew that I could not bring children into the world in that condition. I knew that I wanted so much more for them and for myself.’
Family: Shandra, pictured her family before (L) and after (R) her weight loss, said she decided to lose weight and become healthier when she and Gerald decided to have kids
Amazing: ‘I was closer to three-hundred than two-hundred was just too much,’ Shandra, pictured before (L) and after (R) her weight loss, said, describing her breaking point
Gym bunny: The mom-of-two joined a gym and set herself a personal goal of going for 21 days straight to kick start her weight loss and temporarily joined Weight Watchers
Gorgeous: As seen recently, Shandra took up running and changed her diet, which saw her slimming down to a healthy 145 pounds (10st 4Ib)
Impressive: Similarly, her incredible weight loss saw her dropping from being a size 22 dress size (L) to a size eight (R)
Shandra decided to join a gym and set a goal for herself to go every day for 21 days to set a new and healthy routine. She also temporarily joined Weight Watchers to learn how to eat better and managed to lose over 68 pounds (4st 9Ib).
She now says that losing this weight has changed her life for the better and has restored her self-worth and confidence.
‘After I had lost one-hundred pounds, I pulled my wedding dress out of the back of the closet and posted a photo of the difference,’ she said.
Beauty: She now says that losing this weight has changed her life for the better and has restored her self-worth and confidence
The photo showed Shandra wearing her wedding dress before and after her weight loss. Captioning the photo, she said: ‘I was doing another closet purge just now and found my size TWENTY-TWO wedding dress buried in the back.
‘I haven’t tried it on since my wedding five years ago and thought it might be great #transformationtuesday material. The craziest part is that I had already lost 35 pounds and I was feeling super skinny on my wedding day.
‘What a crazy journey!’ she added.
‘The photo went viral and was seen by someone at the Rachel Ray show. They ended up having us on the show to renew our vows last year,’ Shandra said.
‘They sent me out in NYC to pick a new wedding dress which I surprised my husband with live on the show. Losing the weight has changed everything about my life; first and foremost, it has changed how I believe and think about myself.
‘I am capable of anything now. Furthermore, my health has dramatically improved, I’m extremely physically active with my family and so many day-to-day activities have improved or are now available to me for the first time.
‘I am filled with confidence and self-worth. I go after everything I want for my life and encourage others to do the same. I’m proud of my accomplishments and the example that I am to my children.’
Goal: Since embarking on her weight loss journey, Shandra (pictured with husband Gerald) said she grew a passion for running and is now a ‘half-marathoner and daily runner’
Fit! The mother-of-two also lifts weights and enjoys hiking and exploring with Gerald and their children Brecken, four, and Hendrick, 2
Healthy: ‘You might fail a hundred times or more along the way and that’s ok. Just keep going,’ Shandra, who now works as a weight loss coach, said
Shandra said, since the beginning of her weight loss journey, she grew a passion for running. She is now a ‘half-marathoner and daily runner’.
The mother-of-two also lifts weights and enjoys hiking and exploring with her family.
Explaining the impressive weight loss journey, Shandra said: ‘I always say the hardest part is the mental work; it’s about changing your habits for life and about changing the way that you think about yourself.
‘Surprisingly, the most difficult thing has been adjusting as I’ve continued to lose more and more weight. So much of your life changes and how the world sees you changes but who you are on the inside takes a long time and work to catch up to it.
‘People close to me often say that they don’t ever remember me being that weight. People I meet or who see my photos often have many questions and are quick to point out how vulnerable and real my posts are.
‘Strangers tell me how I make it possible for other regular people to feel like it’s possible. Most people can’t believe that I was ever that overweight.
‘You don’t have to figure it all out and don’t think about the big goal. Just take it one step at a time, set small goals, and just keep moving forward. You might fail a hundred times or more along the way and that’s ok. Just keep going.’
Shandra, who now works as a weight loss coach, shares regular updates and posts with her 70,000 followers on her Instagram page. She also has her own website – Loser Mentality – where she sells different weight loss plans and offers different tips, recipes and inspirational blog posts.